5 ms·

In addition to men preferring cooler temperatures in general (probably for metabolic reasons), men in offices are usually required to wear warmer clothing than

In addition to men preferring cooler temperatures in general (probably for metabolic reasons), men in offices are usually required to wear warmer clothing than women (though anecdotally I suspect that because of the AC, pantsuits are becoming more popular). In one office I worked at, the AC controls were not accessible, and because there was no dress code whatsoever, everyone complained about the temperatures being too low. There was a TI office in the same building, and because everyone was in business casual or higher, they didn't have the same problems. Designing uniforms which look professional and composed but which also ventilate correctly could considerably raise optimal office temperatures.

grogenaut 9y ago
"Looks professional" is all about what "successful people" wear. If everyone in the US who was successful took to wearing Moomoos... then we'd all be wearing moomoos and the schlubs would be wearing suits. Just look at the hoodie pre and post zuckerberg. If Mark had instead wore a tank-top and board shorts 50% of SF would be wearing that year round instead.
- microcolonel 9y ago
  No, there really is something objectively attractive about handsome clothing. Well made and handsome clothing, especially that which obscures the aesthetic weaknesses of the wearer, is a global concept. Hoodie and jeans is an okay uniform inside a business (though I would argue that if they're not well-kept, it lowers the standards of the people in the office), but in customer-facing roles I think it's inappropriate. It can be done well, but most hoodies and most pairs of jeans are an aesthetic disappointment, since they're built for casual warmth and gold panning respectively. I would not trust a bank which faces its customers with hoodies, T-shirts, and jeans. The appropriate attire for a clerk usually involves a shirt (especially with a vest) or one/two tone blouse, and trousers or a skirt. Makes you look kempt, but dynamic. A unifying visual theme for staff also makes it simpler to identify them. If the clerks all have a consistent uniform, the custodial staff a different but thematically matched uniform, it makes it simpler to navigate a customer-facing office. I think Hooters does a good job of this, it is easy to locate and discern the staff from other guests, and contributes to the environment (a casual, consistent dining establishment which has attractive, well-trained, and helpful service staff).
  - grogenaut 9y ago
    Attractive clothing can be anything... Is a Sari attractive? A Burka? Timberland farmer's gear? A Police Uniform? It's about the craftmanship and the cut accentuating the human form and hiding the imperfections (or with true artistry showing them and pulling it off even better). You say that "face customers with hoodies, t-shirts and jeans" except this is exactly hooter's uniforms. everyone wears uniform t-shirts. The non-wait staff wear jeans or shorts (depending on season/climate). You're just showing off your innate biases based on current fashion. There's nothing innately better about a specific functional form of dress over another. A suit is not inherently more powerful than a Thawb or a Kimono. If we were going for pure power we'd all be in hockey or football pads or suits of armor. Uniformness you have somthing on. But you can be uniform on just about any type of dress. Hell you can be uniform on color and totaly different on form and it'd still work. This also might point out that you are basing things on appearance instead of form.
    - microcolonel 9y ago
      > A suit is not inherently more powerful than a Thawb or a Kimono. I did not say that, I explicitly said that the quality and fit of the clothing is of primary importance. You could make the argument that the ceiling is much higher for Kimono, they seem to start around ¥200,000 JPY, and going up from there not for the faint of heart. Thawbs are sorta self-limiting, little can genuinely be done for their quality, about as limited as the range for white dress shirts; some have weird things like false lapels.
      - grogenaut 9y ago
        Why are you so fixated on the price?
        microcolonel 9y ago
        I am not fixated on price, I mentioned it once. But if you press me on the kimono (which is a very broad category, but I'll assume we're talking about the dressier types), I'd say that the fact that normal people are willing to pay these prices means that it means something to them.

grogenaut 9y ago

"Looks professional" is all about what "successful people" wear. If everyone in the US who was successful took to wearing Moomoos... then we'd all be wearing moomoos and the schlubs would be wearing suits. Just look at the hoodie pre and post zuckerberg. If Mark had instead wore a tank-top and board shorts 50% of SF would be wearing that year round instead.

microcolonel 9y ago
No, there really is something objectively attractive about handsome clothing. Well made and handsome clothing, especially that which obscures the aesthetic weaknesses of the wearer, is a global concept. Hoodie and jeans is an okay uniform inside a business (though I would argue that if they're not well-kept, it lowers the standards of the people in the office), but in customer-facing roles I think it's inappropriate. It can be done well, but most hoodies and most pairs of jeans are an aesthetic disappointment, since they're built for casual warmth and gold panning respectively. I would not trust a bank which faces its customers with hoodies, T-shirts, and jeans. The appropriate attire for a clerk usually involves a shirt (especially with a vest) or one/two tone blouse, and trousers or a skirt. Makes you look kempt, but dynamic. A unifying visual theme for staff also makes it simpler to identify them. If the clerks all have a consistent uniform, the custodial staff a different but thematically matched uniform, it makes it simpler to navigate a customer-facing office. I think Hooters does a good job of this, it is easy to locate and discern the staff from other guests, and contributes to the environment (a casual, consistent dining establishment which has attractive, well-trained, and helpful service staff).
- grogenaut 9y ago
  Attractive clothing can be anything... Is a Sari attractive? A Burka? Timberland farmer's gear? A Police Uniform? It's about the craftmanship and the cut accentuating the human form and hiding the imperfections (or with true artistry showing them and pulling it off even better). You say that "face customers with hoodies, t-shirts and jeans" except this is exactly hooter's uniforms. everyone wears uniform t-shirts. The non-wait staff wear jeans or shorts (depending on season/climate). You're just showing off your innate biases based on current fashion. There's nothing innately better about a specific functional form of dress over another. A suit is not inherently more powerful than a Thawb or a Kimono. If we were going for pure power we'd all be in hockey or football pads or suits of armor. Uniformness you have somthing on. But you can be uniform on just about any type of dress. Hell you can be uniform on color and totaly different on form and it'd still work. This also might point out that you are basing things on appearance instead of form.
  - microcolonel 9y ago
    > A suit is not inherently more powerful than a Thawb or a Kimono. I did not say that, I explicitly said that the quality and fit of the clothing is of primary importance. You could make the argument that the ceiling is much higher for Kimono, they seem to start around ¥200,000 JPY, and going up from there not for the faint of heart. Thawbs are sorta self-limiting, little can genuinely be done for their quality, about as limited as the range for white dress shirts; some have weird things like false lapels.
    - grogenaut 9y ago
      Why are you so fixated on the price?
      - microcolonel 9y ago
        I am not fixated on price, I mentioned it once. But if you press me on the kimono (which is a very broad category, but I'll assume we're talking about the dressier types), I'd say that the fact that normal people are willing to pay these prices means that it means something to them.